Black and White Photography

The decision to choose black and white photographs over color is usually one that means your photos will be more expressive and dramatic. Black and white photography is considered artistic because of the vast contrast in shadows and light - a contrast that often captures emotions, landscapes, and overall situations better.

You can achieve black and white photography with an SLR camera. This process can be quite involved, but most photographers recommend it because of the education value, and the high quality photos that result. Specialized black and white film can have a great effect for the achievement of the look you're trying to obtain - and experimenting with black and white film, along with the experimentation with the camera can lead to some amazing looking shots. If you're going for a specifically overdramatic look, the photographer can also experience with excessive grain to accentuate the shadows and light that give a more emotional feel to the picture. Over exposure or resetting the ISO speed can result is some exceptionally dramatic shots.

Nowadays, it doesn't require film manipulation to achieve black and white images. Many digital cameras now offer the ability to create black and white images right as the shot is being taken. Certain modes in the advanced setting options on most camera will allow for "Mono mode" - or special settings that allow images to be taken in black and white, sepia and document shooting options.

If you're shooting digital photography in "mono mode" - your LCD screen should show your images in grey scale - giving you a pretty accurate idea of what your image will look like when developed in black and white. Any other dramatic effects, such as graininess or shadows can be added later through a software editing program. If you're photographing in black and white, chances are, you're already familiar with these kinds of editing programs.